Device for attachment to the legs or feet of ladders, wheelbarrows, and like articles



Aug. 18; 194

A. BRICE I DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE LEGS OR FEET OF LADDERS, WHEELBARROWS, AND LIKE ARTICLES Filed July 8, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Lac-IR 7' B/Q/CE HTTORNEY Aug. 18, 1942. BR|cE DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THELEGS 0R FEET OF LADDERS, WHEELBARROWS, AND LIKE ARTICLES Filed July 8, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 HTTORNEY Aug. 18, 1942.

DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE LEGS OR FEET OF LADDERS, WHEELBARROWS, AND LIKE ARTICLES v Filed July 8,1941 '3 Sheets-'-Sheet 3 ,Hzmwior ALBERT BA 4:

Patented Aug. 18, 1942 DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE LEGS OR FEET OF LADDERS, WHEELBARROWS, AND LIKE ARTICLES Albert Brice, Stockport, England Application July 8, 1941, Serial No. 401,456 In Great Britain August 28, '1940 3 Claims.

This invention concerns means or a device for attachment to or use with the legs or feet of ladders, wheelharrows, trestles, rifle supports, or

such like, which it is desirable shall be disposed or set down in upright position or supported level, but which have frequently to rest, as regards the legs or limbs, on uneven ground or to reckon with obstructions.

The object in view is to enable ladders or the like to be positively supported and held in an upright or level position by a combined and automatically adjustable mechanical contrivance which accommodates itself and is consequently self-setting, and whereby the ladder or the like can be set down in upright and safe position on uneven ground. The means or device are such that, once set, so long as a leg or limb of the ladder or the like bears on one provided foot, both feet areinterengaged and locked, but, when both legs are lifted clear of the ground, the feet .re-set themselves automatically,

Therefore according to the invention, and with the aforesaid object, I provide simple means in the form of a mechanical device which can be incorporated as part of the ladder or the like or made ready for attachment thereto.

For the desired purpose, use is made of toothed or rack bars or rods having feet or fittings at their lower ends, and these toothed or rack bars are guided in slides and so disposed relatively as to form in effect telescopic extensions to the ordinary legs or feet of the ladder or the like. The guiding slides are fixed between the legs of the ladder or the like and disposed at an angle to one another. The arrangement in any case is such that when the ladder or such like is placed or set down upon uneven ground, the toothed or rack bar which first touches the ground is pushed up, but as soon as the foot of the other toothed or rack bar touches the ground it moves up a little to meet and engage the first, and so both are locked against further upward movement by this inter-engagement of said bars. Thus, the telescopic toothed or rack bars automatically as- :sume a position in which they hold the ladder or the like upright or level, but as soon as the ladder or the like is lifted clear of the ground the said toothed or racked bars return to their initial position due to their own weight, and if .found advantageous, assisted by spring action.

The invention is hereafter further ascertained in the following detailed description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of several examples, structures conforming with the foregoing.

In the said drawings: I

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing an advantageous example of the means or device as applied to a ladder.

Fig. 2 shows a separate view of one of the toothed or rack bars.

Figs. 3 and l are detail views of a non-slipping foot for the toothed or rack bars.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 1 on the line 5-5.

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of one of the shoes which permit adjustment in fitting.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the intermediate central structure and the slides for the oppositely inclined toothed or rack bars.

Fig. 8 is a separate perspective view of one of the side brackets.

Fig. 9 shows the disposition of the toothed or rack bars with the ladder placed on uneven ground.

Fig, 10 shows a modification in the means or device.

Figs. 11 and 12 indicate the invention as applied to a wheelbarrow, the Fig. 11 being an end view, and Fig. 12 a side elevation.

Referring in the first place to the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 5 and to the detail views Figs. 6, '7 and 8, the usual upright members of a ladder are marked a and drilled bent reinforcing members of metal a are shown applied thereto. Fitting tothe metal members a are metal shoes 1) which are drilled at b the two elements being fixed to the ladder uprights. by bolts 1) which pass through and'bind the three contrivances together. The metal shoes b are also drilled to produce elongated slots b Extending between the metal shoes b is an intermediate structure 0 consisting of, plates drilled at the points 0 the same being fixed to the metal shoes b by bolts 0 This construction permits of the arrangement so far described being applied to ladders in which the distance apart of the legs a varies slightly, as is not unusual, the elongated slots permitting of the requisite adjustment. Intermediate of the members of the structure 0, inclined slides d are provided, the one set disposed approximately at to the other, the same being shown as welded in position.

Slidably mounted in the inclined slides ar the toothed or rack bars j which are cut to produce teeth f and each has a curved nose I and a limit abutment 1*. The foot f of each toothed or rack bar ,1 is shown by Fig. 1 as having a nonslipping pad 1 Same may have a metal extension i welded thereto and an applied non-slip pad I", as shown by Figs. 3 and 4.

With a ladder fitted with the means or device set forth, it will be seen that if the ladder is lifted and placed on a level surface the toothed or rack bars 1 (which have fallen due to the act of lifting) rise very slightly from the merely suspended position, the bar which first touches the ground getting a slight lead. As a result the paths of the toothed or rack bars 7 intersect, with result the nose 1 of one looks into the topmost tooth f of the other and the ladder is disposed in a substantially upright position standing firmly upon the feet I as indicated in Fig. 1.

When however the ladder requires to be placed on uneven ground or surface, same is lifted and disposed upright and then lowered until the foot of one toothed or rack bar encounters the higher surface, whereupon said bar is slightly raised. The result is, thatas the other toothed or rack bar is allowed to contact the ground (the ladder being maintained upright) theone toothed or rack bar necessarily rides over the other and is ultimately locked by the curved nose of the other or depending toothed or rack bar, the upward path of which intersects the path of the already elevated toothed or rack bar. Thereby the weight of the ladder and any supported load keeps the ladder upright as the Fig. 9 is intended to show. Should theelevated ground be on the opposite hand to what is shown at Fig. 9, the position of the toothed or rack bars is the reverse, but the action is the same as will be understood.

In case the means or device is to be fixed to ladders with more or less definite spacing of the uprights a, the slightly modified arrangements shown in Fig. 10 may be used. In this the slides d are interconnected on the under side at the apex, whilst their lower ends are bent at d and bolted to the uprights a. In the slides 11* the toothed or rack bars fare guided. The'slides d are shown braced and the uprights a intertied by an elongated bolt 9, and a slot P is cut in each toothed. or'rack bar f to permit them to move with respect to the elongated bolt g.

By the Figs. 11 and 12, the device is shown as applied for example to a wheelbarrow;

According to this showing, relatively inclined slides dare welded to plates 'c c fixed to the legs 71 of the barrow. In these slides; the toothed or rack bars 1 are disposed, and they function in manner already described. An abutment is applied to each toothed or rack'bar (Fig. 11) to limit downward movement.

I declare that what I'claim is:

1. An improved support structure for ladders and'wheelbarrows to'enable same to be supported with an upright and level disposition on uneven surfaces, comprising inclined slides disposed at an angle one to the other, supports for said slides adapted to be attached to the legs of said ladders and wheelbarrows, co-operating and inter-acting toothed bars adapted to be guided in said inclined slides, said co-operating toothed bars being relatively inclined one to the other so that their paths of movement in said slides intersect, means to limit downward movement of said bars in said slides, a nose at the upper end of each of said bars adapted to directly engage a tooth on the other of said bars when the said support structure rests upon uneven ground, all whereby said bars are caused to directly interlock until same are lifted clear of the ground to permit same to automatically reset.

2. An improved support structure for ladders and wheelbarrows to enable same to be supported with an uprightand level disposition on uneven surfaces, comprising brackets adapted to be fixed to the legs of said ladders and wheelbarrows, slotted metal shoes, means to fix same, bores intermediate members extending between theshoes and means to fix same thereto to permit lateral adjustment, inclined slides attached to the intermediate members, co-operating and inter-acting toothed bars adapted to be guided in said inclined slides and relatively inclined one to the other whereby their paths of movement directly intersect, means to limit downward movement of said bars with respect to said slides, a nose at the upper end of each said bar adapted to directly engage a tooth on the other of said bars when the said support structure rests upon uneven ground, all whereby said-bars are caused to inter-' lock until same are lifted clear of the ground to permit same to automatically re-set.

3. An improved support structure for ladders and wheelbarrows to enable same to be supported with an upright and level disposition onuneven surfaces, comprising brackets fashioned with inclined slides and adapted to be fixed to the-legs of said ladders and wheelbarrows, an elongatedbolt bracing the aforesaid legs and passing laterally through said inclined slides, co-operating and inter-acting toothed bars guided in said inclined slides, slots in said bars to limit movement thereof, said co-operating toothed-bars having each a nose at the upper end adapted'to directly engage a tooth on the other of said-bars when the said support structure rests upon uneven ground, and all whereby said bars are caused to directly interlock until same are lifted clear of the ground to permit same to automatically re-set.

ALBERT BRICE. 

